I interviewed Evita Chatzistavrou who discussed her ebook on Globalization.

It’s nice to speak with you today, Evita, and today I’m looking forward to hearing your views on your e-book that you wrote about globalization. Before we start, can you give a brief background of yourself?

Thank you so much. It was really nice to meet you on LinkedIn. I think LinkedIn is the best tool for us to promote our ideas and our work. My name is Evita Chatzistavrou. I live in Athens, Greece, and I work as a multinational executive in several multinational companies here in Greece mostly. I graduated from the only university in Athens, Greece, which is the first university at Greece regarding political sciences. I was very happy to study what I love still today. International relations was my major. I get also my bachelor’s and my master’s of arts degrees from Panteion University. I studied for about six years in total. I am a researcher regarding globalization for about three years.

This is the topic I was interested in mostly during my studies because I think we are lucky enough to be participants not only now but in the future and also during our professional lives. I can speak two languages and I’m an author and an article writer. I’m trying to promote and also to make people aware of it because we are active members and participants of this phenomenon, and I think we must study more and see what interesting things we can do regarding this topic.

My motto, I think it’s the most important thing for me, is “Local is global and global is local.” This is my motto in my life, and I think I will promote it throughout my life.

Can you talk a little bit more about your e-book on globalization, and what is your view on globalization?

I think globalization is an important procedure. We have to involve a lot of things not only now but in the future also. I see it as a major phenomenon of the international relations. When I was a researcher at Panteion University here in Greece, I was trying to see all aspects, not only the economic- and business-related aspects but also cultural aspects. This is the most important thing for me. It’s like a puzzle that’s ongoing.

People can now travel anywhere, anytime. We can talk to anyone by phones; we can have a Skype interview, just like now. It’s very important to think when all this started and how a lot of things are in the future also. Like saying I have to admit that it is a system of national institutions also. I think it’s very important to know hot topics in the newspapers or in the national magazines, Web sites, or LinkedIn pages. It’s very important to know that not only the big countries are concerned about this and also regional countries, because every regional action can have global importance and global results. Of course, their actions are very careful today because all their actions are interrelated with the major countries and, let’s say, actions.

Regional and global are, at the same time, important, and we have to preserve all cultural aspects of this country. We have to preserve all things that are the most important. Of course, we have to think that the globalization is here to stay, and we are active members of it. We may be lucky to live this, or we’re grabbing some bad results. We have to think differently about it and do the best to have the best opportunities and be active members of this at our best exposure.

And are there any specific problems that you address in the book?

I think there are a lot of challenges. I don’t think that we’d have to see them as a problem. It’s an ongoing phenomenon with a lot of challenges, and we are lucky enough to do something about these challenges. It’s very important to be aware and to spread the issues of globalization. Without to admit that a lot of us are still not concerned about it; they just think it’s just a trend. I don’t think it’s a trend; it’s a very serious phenomenon to care about. Me, as a researcher in international relations, I’m very concerned that we have to respect cultural differences. It’s very important to say this, and I repeat this a lot of times in my book also. It’s very important. I think it’s not only economic- and business-related; it’s also cultural. Everybody can read it in my book. In every aspect of the planet, let’s say, all ideas are very widespread and very fast, not only via Facebook, but also from the smartphones and all this technology that helps us a lot of times. We have to be very careful. International trade is not the only aspect of the coin, let’s say; cultural issues are the other.

Do you have any final recommendations?

I will call them conclusions based on my research. I think that we must be aware of this phenomenon. A lot of us have not been concerned of the results that we may have in some years. I think that we must think globally and differently. A lot of things will be solved globally.

I think that it be good to be prepared for it. We have to think a lot of parallel procedures, let’s say, that we’ll be responsible for this. I’m not thinking that everything will be flat, in a global flat planet, let’s say, but we have to be very concerned for our environment in all aspects. We have to make a lot of changes in our work, and we have to be more technology-friendly.

We have to see differently some things. It’s very important for us not only for me as a researcher and as an author, but we have to think that globalization is moving the world. It also has some aspects in supply chain, of course. I work here in Athens, and the next time, the next years I may work outside Greece or I will have to use Facebook and other international means of communication. That would be an everyday life for us, so we have to think it’s a very practical phenomenon; it’s not a thread. I was bored of hearing that it’s a trend and it’s a hot topic and, okay, we will take care of it later. It’s a very serious phenomenon, and that’s why I like this topic, to be a researcher for it. I think that we have to think that all countries now have to think not only globally but their local actions will have global results. This is the most important phrase for me, and I strongly believe it in my book.